Shooter came into airport, shot near baggage claim. Shooter has US Military ID identified as Esteban Santiago, police investigating possible shots fired in far end of terminal. Full airport evac in progress, leaving via the tarmac.

It's interesting that he was able to enter the airport with a weapon by just walking in the front door. There's already talk of enhanced security at airports, setting scanners and guards at the front entrances as well as when entering the terminal.

BBC wrote:Five people have been shot dead by a gunman at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida, say officials. It happened at the baggage claim area in Terminal 2, just before 1300 local time (1800 GMT), the airport confirmed. Five people were killed, eight injured and one person was unharmed in custody, said police and local officials.

Hundreds of people were standing on the tarmac outside the terminal as dozens of police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca wrote on Facebook that the gunman had arrived on a flight from Canada with a gun checked into his luggage. "He claimed his bag and took the gun from baggage and went into the bathroom to load it. Came out shooting people in baggage claim", Mr LaMarca wrote.

One of the first reports of the incident came from former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, who said in a tweet: "I'm at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. Shots have been fired. Everyone is running." A witness told MSNBC that the gunman was a "slender man' who was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt.

The gunman, who appeared to be in his 20s, did not speak before or during the attack, John Schlicher said. He added that his mother-in-law administered first aid to someone who had been shot in the head.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson told US media that the gunman has been identified as Esteban Santiago, but that has not been confirmed by law enforcement.

A man in handcuffs was seen being escorted away from the airport by police nearly two hours after the shooting was first reported. Mobile phone footage from the scene showed police officers frisking passengers and uniformed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers.

A Miami TV station tweeted footage claiming to be filmed from inside the baggage terminal. The video shows several injured people laying on the floor, as witnesses shout for medical help.

The gunman was arrested without any shots fired, said Sheriff Scott Israel.

"At first we thought it was firecrackers," said witness Mark Lea, 53. "Everyone started screaming and running."

Lea said the shooter made his way through baggage claim with what looked like a 9 mm firearm and emptied his entire clip. "People were trying to run," he said.

"Once he finished shooting, he walked down by Door 2, threw his gun on the ground, and laid down on the ground, spread-eagle, until the first officer came — which was probably a minute later," Lea told MSNBC. "He was not shot at all, was not wounded."

Traveler John Schicher told MSNBC he had just arrived at baggage claim with his wife and mother-in-law when the gunman started firing just feet away from him.

"He was holding a black handgun and he was just shooting randomly into the crowd," Schicher, who said he was "in shock," told MSNBC. "There were elderly people who were shot and killed, there were two people to my left and two people to my right that were shot."

The gunman said nothing and didn't appear to be targeting anyone specifically, Schicher said, adding that the shooter had time to reload his gun before he was stopped by police.

BBC wrote:
Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca wrote on Facebook that the gunman had arrived on a flight from Canada with a gun checked into his luggage. "He claimed his bag and took the gun from baggage and went into the bathroom to load it. Came out shooting people in baggage claim", Mr LaMarca wrote.

Not sure how this is possible.

ALL handguns are restricted firearms in Canada. I wouldn't be able to transport one even with a restricted license in this manner. You can do so with Unrestricted firearms as guys do it for hunting purposes all the time but transporting a restricted firearm are WAY different.

Unload the firearms; and
Attach secure locking devices to the firearms; and
Lock the firearms in a sturdy, non-transparent container; and
Remove the bolts or bolt carriers from any automatic firearms (if removable).
Obtain an Authorization to Transport (call 1-800-731-4000).

As far as I am aware, you can only get an ATT from your residence to an approved gun range that you have a membership at or to a licenced gunsmith. Anything else would be very irregular.

Also, from what I've read this guy isn't a Canadian citizen either so can't have a Canadian firearms license if he's not at least a permanent resident. No way he got on an airplane in Canada with a handgun and ammunition in his luggage.

Last edited by slannesh on Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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